I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulating panel and method for constructing the same.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The proper insulation of building structures, both commercial and residential, has become increasingly important in view of the high cost of energy used in heating such buildings. One common way of building the ceiling of a structure is to use a so-called dropped or suspended ceiling with insulation in the roof above the ceiling or elsewhere in the structure. In a dropped ceiling, a grid having a plurality of rectangular openings is suspended from the building structure. A ceiling tile is then inserted within each opening in the grid to form the suspended ceiling.
These previously known ceiling tiles are typically constructed of a relatively thin layer of fiberglass or mineral fiber having one side covered with a vinyl or other decorative covering. These previously known ceiling tiles, however, are disadvantageous in a number of different respects.
First, these previously known ceiling tiles provide only limited insulation for the ceiling of the building structure. Typically, these ceiling tiles have an R value of 2 or less. As is well known in the trade, an insulating panel having a high R value provides greater insulation than a panel having a lower R value.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known ceiling tiles is the inability of the tile to seal against the grid for the suspended ceiling. An inadequate seal between the ceiling tile and the suspended ceiling grid creates air leaks between the tiles and the work, thus degrading the insulating characteristics of the suspended ceiling.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known ceiling tiles is that such tiles have relatively low structural strength. As such, both the overall surface area size of the ceiling tiles, as well as the thickness of the tiles, is limited which further limits the overall insulating capability of the ceiling tiles.
Another disadvantage of known systems is that to achieve a high insulating factor, layers of insulation are sometimes placed on top of the ceiling tiles after they are in place. This limits access to the space above the tiles.